shashasha

"The Night Is Still Young" is a collection of photos documenting the drag queen scene in and around Osaka. Hata takes the viewer through the full drag queen experience, from preparation to performance to private (and party) time. Still, the focus of the book is on performance, and he photographed a wide range of drag queens on stage. Drag queen culture is an underground phenomenon in Japan--even Osaka is not San Francisco--but "The Night Is Still Young" is a colorful look at this scene which highlights the pride of its members. Includes a text (Japanese only) written by curator Eric C. Shiner.